Air
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: Air. From the wind. From the the sky. From my lungs into yours. [Roadtrip!AU. Happy RWBY Tuesday!]
1. Chapter 1

**Written for the perpetually-creative mind of Angie with her Roadtrip AU! You can go to her tumblr (weissrabbit) under the "roadtrip_au" tag for more information on it. This fic just touches upon Yang and Blake, but all the characters are involved in the AU. The girl's have got their issues, so this fic is a mixture of serious events, comfort, and a bit of humor, all based off Angie's art and then some of my own interpretations. Hope you enjoy~!**

**A/N: Warnings for language and mention of certain mental issues, I guess? Find out more in Angie's tags.**

**Dedicated to the lovely, talented Angie herself and the lovely, talented Red (adamantred) who also drew a bit for the AU in addition to drawing art dedicated to me as well.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. Roadtrip AU belongs to Angie.**

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><p>Air<p>

Chapter 1.

"Ahhh, fuck."

It was probably, like, the _kazillienth_ time Yang had uttered the curse that afternoon alone.

Blake had pulled the car over around noontime so they could stop to grab some lunch in the small town they'd wound up in yesterday.

On a whim as she unbuckled, Yang had started to fiddle with the knobs and buttons, groaning when she'd discovered the heating failed to produce any airflow. She'd gone with Blake into town to pick up some sandwiches at a nearby deli, then returned to the car to sit on the roof and eat.

Once finished, Yang had gone to work with the heating, and at present, was still working on it. The car was parked at the back of a public parking area where tourists could leave their cars to walk the streets and window shop, so there was only a small time limit they needed to pay for.

Blake had gone to put new quarters into their meter at least five times since they'd stopped, and she sat on the pavement with her back against the car as she flipped through the pages of her book. The black tar beneath her shorts had started to burn a while ago, and she kept fidgeting and shifting about.

Sure, she could sit _in_ the car, but the interior was gray, and in this 80-something-degree Fahrenheit weather at the hottest part of the day, that wasn't the best of options. Especially considering their summer trip was only two weeks in – they'd need to save their air conditioning for later weeks when they'd really need it, and couldn't risk that breaking now, too.

But her coal-black hair and bow weren't doing Blake much good either, and even when she tied everything up into a ponytail, she could still feel the sweat beading all over her skin, and she started to squirm.

She briefly wondered how long they'd been here for, deducing that judging by the amount of money she'd put into the meter and the amounts of "fucks" and "shits" Yang kept spitting out behind her, it must've been at last two hours.

Two hours of fruitless efforts on the blonde girl's part as she continued to bumble around with a pitifully-small tool kit Blake had luckily happened to store in the trunk next to their other supplies.

But eventually, it got to the point where the curses were more frequent than the moments of frustrated silence, and Blake was starting to feel the hairs on the back of her clammy neck rising anxiously as Yang's shouts got more furious. It soon became the kind of shouting and cursing that wasn't harmless; it was the kind where people would start smashing things and getting hurt.

It made Blake's heart jump uncomfortably, and she closed her book and put it down as she stood, wanting to stop Yang before the situation only got worse and her shouting louder.

"Yang, that's enough," she said, walking up behind her companion.

Yang had been hunched over for the past couple of hours, phone in her lap as she tried desperately to connect to any signal of WiFi so she could look up instructions of how to fix the damn thing without having to call and pay however-many-fucking-hundreds of dollars it would cost to have a repairman do it if she couldn't do it herself.

"Just- gimme another couple minutes," Yang grunted, slouching down a bit more.

Blake opened her mouth to try and protest again, but it wasn't a second later when Yang lost grip of her miniature screwdriver and it fell in the crack between the seats.

"_Fuck!_" she barked, and it was a furious sound.

Blake reflexively recoiled and took a step back, her throat closing up. She hated this, hating when people got mad like this, hated it even more that it was _Yang_-

She looked like she was about to bolt, and she really might've done that if Yang hadn't noticed the sharp motion of her friend's body when she backed away. She looked up sharply with a gasp, eyes wide and brows furrowed as she saw the stricken expression on Blake's face.

Yang dropped all of her other supplies – phone included – and forgot the existence of everything and everyone else in the world right now except for Blake.

"Oh no, hey..." Yang reached out for her slowly, repenting, pissed beyond words at herself for letting her temper get the better of her. "I'm sorry, Blake. I didn't mean to shout like that. I'm not mad at you, y'know. I'm just frustrated at the situation and aagh damn it, I'm sorry." Her fingers managed to brush against Blake's, and she saw her flinch. Yang curled her fingers around hers and gently pulled her closer, relieved that Blake wasn't refusing. "C'mere."

She got out of the car and closed the driver's door where she'd been seated previously and opened the back door on the same side. She kept a hold of Blake's hand with one of hers as the other scooped up her book and placed it on the far seat inside before Yang took a seat as well, pulling Blake in with her.

She left the door open; she knew better than anyone what it felt like to be trapped in confined, compact places like a car when they were feeling scared, and Blake was clearly uneasy now.

The fresh air coming in on the breeze served to calm things down a bit, and Yang tugged her companion's wrist to have Blake turn to face her. "I'm sorry," she mumbled again. "I'm sorry I shouted. I was just _mad_ and I didn't even realize how stupidly mad I was getting over something so dumb. But no matter how mad I get about stupid things, it's never worth it. And nothing's worth seeing that look in your eyes."

It sounded lame, sure, but it was how she really felt. She hadn't missed the fear in Blake's eyes just a moment ago, and Yang felt sick in knowing it had been there as a result of something she herself had done.

Even now, Blake's teeth were still digging into her bottom lip. Yang slipped her hand out of Blake's and let it sneak to the back of the girl's t-shirt, rubbing gently over her stiff muscles. "You okay?" she mumbled guiltily.

It was a minute longer before Blake felt the atmosphere begin to lighten, her pulse slowing accordingly. She _knew _Yang hadn't meant to frighten her. She _knew _the curses weren't directed at herself. She _knew_ the other girl was just sweaty and thirsty and tired. She _knew_ there was no reason to react this way to such a minor slip-up, but Blake just couldn't _help_ it.

She didn't like being this way, but it was how she was, and she had to deal with that, knowing it hurt Yang sometimes as well. Like now.

"Yes..." Blake sighed, focusing on the soothing hand on her back. "I'm okay. I'm sorry, too." She leaned against the back of the seat as Yang pulled her hand away.

"You don't have to be sorry," the blonde said, stretching her arms back and above her head until her shoulders popped. "I've been needing to work on my potty mouth for ages now."

Blake cracked a small smile, recognizing the atmosphere beginning to mend itself, and she was intent to let it do just that.

"Really," she commented. "I never expected such a colorful vocabulary from a cheerleader."

"You'd be surprised the kinda things that came outta the squads' mouths," Yang chuckled.

Blake allowed herself a light laugh as well. This was the stuff that amazed her, how Yang could take any situation at all - no matter how bad - and turn it into something better, or at least less crappy. She could elicit a laugh from Blake easier than anyone else on the planet, be it out of clever wit or sheer goofiness.

That was just one of the many things she lo- … _liked_ about Yang.

Right. Liked.

"So..." Blake cleared her throat pointedly. "What's the verdict on the heating?"

Yang groaned and let her hands fall down into her lap.

"It's busted. Shot. Which doesn't make any sense 'cuz we've only used it, what like... twice since we set out? Ugh, dammit..."

Blake took the liberty of sliding a little closer.

"Well, it could be worse. Could've been the AC that broke."

"Oh god, don't even _joke_-" Yang scoffed. "We'd be so fucked, oh my god, haha."

"I don't think losing the heating will be that much of a problem," Blake reasoned. "It's getting hotter every day, after all, so the nights shouldn't be too cold. Maybe just for another week or so, but we've got plenty to keep us warm." She went so far as to put on a bit of a smirk, something she'd never managed much before she'd met Yang. "I'm sure we'll survive."

"Yeah," Yang nodded, cracking her fingers. "Yeah, you're right. We'll be fine. This lil' adventure's only just started, after all. Can't let this one minor setback bring us down, right?"

"Right." Blake looked her companion over, noticing there was still a veil of sweat over her forehead. "Let's go get something to drink."

"Yes, _please_."

Blake slipped out the open door and back onto the pavement, letting Yang out as well. The blonde grabbed the keys and pulled her sunglasses down before closing the door and locking the car up. They put a few more quarters into the meter to give them another hour, and together they headed off toward the shops once more.

It was still early-on in their journey, but that didn't mean they weren't frugal; they only had so much money in their pockets, saved up from birthdays and holidays and whatever offerings their parents had given them for the trip. Of course, if they really got themselves into a bind or needed help financially or otherwise, they could give their families a ring and they'd locate and help them out.

But that was a dead-last resort - a final option. They wanted to survive on their own for the summer.

So they pinched pennies whenever they could, always going for whatever was on sale, comparing prices at different stores, not always asking for ice – just little things.

As they walked side-by-side, Yang's words kept echoing through Blake's ears, subconsciously causing her back to straighten with confidence.

_Can't let this one minor setback bring us down, right? _

It was a small phrase that might seem insignificant to others, but to Blake it meant a lot. She wanted to live by those words, and Yang did too.

But unfortunately, it seemed the fates were making that hard for the blonde girl today.

After the heat broke in the car, everything else just seemed to be going _wrong_.

They got their drinks at a small concession stand, Blake having insisted on treating them both to smoothies after the less-than-favorable morning.

But Yang hadn't even gotten in two sips before a herd of kids came scampering by and slammed into her, causing her to drop and spill it all over the sidewalk. She'd snapped at their retreating backs, miffed and angry because Blake had _bought that for her_ and it was three dollars and fifty cents that was now _wasted_ that they could've used elsewhere.

Plus, it'd been lemon – her favorite.

Blake offered – insisted, rather - to share her black raspberry. She knew it wasn't Yang's favorite, but she deserved something cold after slaving away all morning, and Blake knew Yang wouldn't let her buy her another drink.

The blonde heaved a heavy sigh, but perked up with a grin when Blake held her smoothie out to her. It certainly wasn't the first time they'd shared a straw, and neither minded.

They each drank about half of it on their way back to the car, and Yang had been about to start letting herself feel better.

Until the driver's side door got jammed, and the surge of strength she put into forcing it open caused her to be flung back when it hit her in the head.

"Yang!" Blake rushed quickly around to her side, concerned she'd knocked herself out. There was a large red mark on her forehead that trickled with a small line of blood, but she was conscious, moaning in pained curses all the while as Blake supported her. "Come on, just stand for a second," she urged her.

Blake helped her to her feet, leading Yang around to the passenger's side and letting her down, digging into the side compartments where they kept a few bottles of disinfectant wipes. She dabbed the blood off of Yang's forehead, and the blonde winced as the stinging sensation registered. She moaned again, feeling Blake's hands working over her, feeling the girl's breath against her face as she did her best to patch her up.

When she was finished, Blake took a step back and sighed. "Are you okay?" She knew it was a stupid question, but she couldn't stop herself from asking.

Yang finally blinked her eyes open.

"Not really. _Damn_, that hurt..." she hissed.

"Sorry." Blake didn't know why she was apologizing. She was just sorry Yang was hurt now.

She wasn't exactly the best with physical contact, but she knew in this sort of situation, it was acceptable to offer comfort to Yang. Slowly, she shifted forward and wrapped an arm around Yang's shoulders, giving a slight squeeze. Lavender eyes went wide, and Yang couldn't stop the surprised tone as she spoke:

"Wow. I never expected this kinda thing from you." But she didn't want to come off as sounding ungrateful – she was quite the opposite. "But thanks, Blake. It feels nice." She savored the contact for all it was worth, knowing how rare this kind of thing was coming from her companion. But she didn't want Blake to push herself. "I'm good," she murmured appreciatively.

Blake nodded and stepped back.

"Okay. But you're not driving anymore. Not tonight."

Blake buckled her in and closed the door before skirting the car and getting into the driver's seat. She took the keys from Yang and started the car, rolling the windows down for that breath of evening air as they started to move.

This was always the best feeling, turning the radio on and simply driving down the road to nowhere in particular. But Yang had once pointed out that when they had no specified destination in mind, they were halfway to both nowhere-

-and _anywhere_.

It was freedom itself.

The wind whipping past their faces, through their hair, and roaring in their ears often provided a strong enough distraction to dissuade their minds from wandering back to old regrets. Motion and sound were good for that; it was the stillness and quiet that could get risky sometimes.

The sunlight started to fade, the natural light being replaced by the orange glow of artificial street lamps and the yellow headlights of other cars.

They enjoyed it for a while, a good playlist of songs doing wonders for them. They kept their eyes open for any free parking spots on the side of the road where they could pull over for the night, preferably where there was a convenience store nearby.

But again -despite all the better things - Yang realized today _really_ wasn't her day.

Blake wasn't going any faster than the speed limit permitted, but still the blonde's stomach was churning, and her head pounding. She tried to swallow it all down, but before long, she could no longer fight the bile creeping up her throat.

"Blake..." she rasped, and all it took was one glance at her unnaturally-pale face for Blake to recognize she was going to be sick.

"Hold on," she murmured, turning the music down a bit in hopes to sooth her friend.

Blake pulled the car over shortly afterward by a very small stretch of forest in between some of the town's shops and houses. She got out quickly and went around to unbuckle Yang, helping her out as well.

The blonde sank to her knees, and Blake held her hair for her, rubbing her back as she retched. There hadn't been much in her stomach – just the smoothie and that morning's sandwich – but it was more than enough to make Blake wince.

As they were - driving around where every meal counted - for Yang to lose so many of the contents of her stomach was devastating. The last thing they needed was one of them falling ill, because that spelled a sentence of one of two things; a hospital bill - or worse - their parents coming out to find them, drag them back home, and scold them, promising to never trust them on their own again for as long as they lived.

Blake whimpered at the thoughts, continuing to rub Yang's back until she'd finished. The other girl gasped, her entire body shaking, and it was so worrying for Blake to see her like this. She was usually so tough and could fight anything or anyone, but not now. It brought tears to her eyes, and she didn't even think when she wrapped her arms around Yang and hugged her again.

"Sorry..." she mumbled, not sure why she was apologizing, but again, feeling the need to anyway. "You're okay," she murmured, as if to convince both herself and Yang, to make it real.

Yang could hear Blake crying softly behind her and slowly straightened herself up, curling her arms out and around any part of her companion she could reach.

"Yeah..." she sniffed once and sighed. "I'm okay. We're both okay." She swallowed before pulling away, finding Blake's eyes with her own. "Thanks, Blake."

Again. Yang did it again, made Blake feel better even when circumstances seemed to be at their worst. What a gift she had.

Slowly, she let go of the blonde, and helped her to her feet,

"Come on. Let's get you cleaned up."

They left the car and hobbled to a nearby convenience store, purchasing a couple of disposable tooth brushes before heading to the restroom. Usually, they'd use the brushes and paste the'd brought from home, but vomiting called for things they didn't have to reuse.

They freshened up, also splashing water onto their faces to wash away the grease and sweat of the day. They each took a few paper towels and stuffed them into their pockets to bring back out to the car with them, stashing them in a pile in one of the side compartments to use for all types of reasons.

Blake drove them a short distance away until they found a quiet street with open parking spaces on the shoulders – and a small blessing; no meters to rob them of precious change.

They left the car on for a while, using the wire that connected to the battery to charge their phones in turn as they both retreated to the back seats of the vehicle.

Nighttime could be the best, as they'd often stay up late talking, skyping people back home, playing games on their phones, or taking turns driving aimlessly as the other dozed.

But there would be none of that tonight, not when Blake was well aware of Yang's condition.

She pulled out their blankets, the lack of heating proving to be a bit of a problem tonight, as the temperature only continued to drop lower as the moon rose higher.

"Ugh, soon..." Yang mumbled as they shifted the blankets around. "Soon it'll be nice and warm at night and we might even be able to sleep up on the roof or something."

"With the way _you_ thrash? You'd roll off and break something."

"I'd take my chances," she shrugged. But a shiver ran through her and she chattered her teeth. "Buuut not tonight. Here, lay down and I'll lock up."

Blake handed her the keys before she slipped into her Beacon High hoodie and laid down horizontally on the back seat. Yang turned the car off, unplugged their phones, and locked the doors.

The blonde then wrapped a blanket around herself before lying down next to Blake.

For the first few nights, they'd slept with heads to the other's toes, but after one too many kicks to the faces, they'd opted to just lie normally. It'd been a bit awkward at first, but they soon found neither really minded these positions.

There was a street lamp casting light not too far off, so it wasn't pitch black, nor was it dark enough to make them terrified that some random person could walk by and start attacking the car. It was just dark enough to sleep comfortably.

Yang moaned, her stomach still a bit sore from throwing up. Blake was pressed between the cheerleader and the seats, and she squished herself back further into the cushions to give Yang more room.

Blake was still amazed she didn't get nauseous from this borderline-claustrophobia. She didn't know why it never happened, but she wasn't about to start asking questions or complaining.

Yang lie on her side, back facing Blake, probably to hide an expression of pain or discomfort. Tentatively, Blake reached out and rubbed her back with a hand, slowing trailing up and down between her shoulder blades. She noticed Yang was breathing a bit hard and frowned.

"Are you going to be sick again?" she asked, thinking quickly as to where she'd slipped the keys. "I can move up to the front seats if you need more room back here."

But Yang gave a shake of her messy hair.

"Nah. I'm just... thinkin'..." Her voice was soft – uncharacteristically so – and Blake was worried.

Part of herself told her that it wasn't her place to pry, and yet the other part reminded her that there was no one else around who _could_. So she continued to rub Yang's back and asked quietly:

"About what?"

A silence followed, and Blake accepted it. If Yang didn't want to answer, that was fine. They could just drift off to sleep.

She thought that the blonde had done just that until an unmistakable sound reached her ears. The proof was right in front of her, and she could feel Yang shaking beneath her fingertips.

She was crying.

"Yang-" Blake propped herself up on her free elbow, concern sharp in her voice. She was scared Yang was hurt from her head injury, or really about to be sick again.

But as she was debating what she could do for her, Yang's whisper of a voice reached her ears:

"Blake..." she sniffed, hiccuping. "Y'know... y'know when sometimes you... you get those nights where... everything just... catches up with you?" she whimpered. "Where... all you can do is feel... s-stupid and small and insignificant, and all you c-can remember are your mistakes and all the shit you did _wrong?_ And you wanna do better, but you just don't know how? Y-You just wa... wanna give up and go to sleep and not wake up for a couple years?" Slowly, she turned around to face Blake, and the trails of tears were shining in the dim light all down her cheeks and neck to the fabrics of her shirt. "It's... it's one of _those_ nights."

And Blake knew _exactly_ what she was talking about.

"Yeah," she mumbled. "Yeah. I understand." She gulped, not knowing what she could do. When she was alone, she'd just cry herself to sleep, but she'd never had to help someone _else_ in this situation before, nor had she ever had anyone to help _her_. She bit her lip. "Do you want to... go for a walk? Get some fresh air?"

Yang wiped her face on her sleeve and sniffed deeply.

"I would, but... guh, my stomach still feels like crap. And my head hurts like hell. It's also kinda cold. Damn heat won't even work..." She looked hopelessly up at Blake, more tears running down. "Just... almost everything went wrong today and I'm so _sick_ and _tired_ of it."

Blake nodded, and for the second time that day, did something she'd only rarely ever done before in her life; embrace another person.

She pulled Yang close to her, throwing more blankets over her exposed back, letting her hide her face in Blake's shirt.

"Okay," she murmured. She wasn't going to say she knew how Yang felt because she _didn't_. Even though she'd experienced many times before what the girl was describing now, she could never feel what anyone else felt.

_Ever._

And she knew that.

So she settled for that word.

"Okay," she said again. "Okay, Yang. That's fine if you feel that way. There's nothing wrong with that. If you want to keep sleeping tomorrow and for the rest of the summer, I won't wake you up. I'll just stay here with you."

And she knew they'd both wake up tomorrow with the new day, but for now, it was what Yang wanted to hear, and therefore what she needed to say.

She wasn't exactly an expert on consoling others, but she did her best to comfort the blonde girl, holding her shoulders and simply _being there_, sharing her warmth, her existence.

And Yang was more grateful for that than she could ever express. She hated feeling like she was being whiny, but she just needed to get things off her chest right now, and Blake was here and listening.

"It's just..." she sniffed again, gulping in a breath against the fabrics of Blake's shirt. "Back home I was always... _always_ just takin' care of everybody else. Nobody ever..." She trailed off, sobbing softly.

Blake nodded in understanding and hugged her a little tighter, amazed at how effortless it was to do such things with Yang, knowing in the back of her mind that it couldn't be anyone else.

"Well, I'm here now. And I can't promise I can take care of you, but I'll _be here_ at the very least. I'm sorry I'm so useless. I wish I could do more..."

She felt Yang shake her head quickly.

"No- you... you _do_, Blake..." She couldn't speak like she wanted to.

So she expressed it as best she could with her body, arms snaking around the girl's torso beneath the blankets and hugging Blake with a gentle fierceness.

And Blake felt like an idiot. How stupid _was_ she? She should've known by now that degrading herself would only make Yang feel worse. Negativity only bred more of itself, after all.

She gave the blonde another squeeze.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "Tomorrow will be better. We'll be okay. But for now, just sleep. Forget today. It's over. Tomorrow will be better." She repeated this as though doing so would make it true.

Yang nodded, choosing to believe her words, and that was good enough for Blake.

"Yeah..." Yang said, her tears finally slowing. "Let's sleep." She nestled closer to Blake, opening her senses and absorbing the softness that encompassed her. "Thank you, Blake."

Blake lightly rested her chin atop the girl's head.

"Don't mention it."

They laid there together, closer than they'd ever been before, to each other or anyone else in the world, both physically and emotionally.

Nighttime was strange. It often gave a person odd motivation to do things they'd normally never consider, sometimes made them feel invincible to make up for the other times when it made them feel helpless. If Yang was the latter tonight, Blake was the former.

She wasn't a singer, but she opened her mouth to try, just a little bit, her voice soft and thin:

_"We're interrupted by the heat of the sun_  
><em>Trying to prevent what's already begun<em>  
><em>You're just a body, I can smell your skin<em>  
><em>And when I feel it, you're wearing thin..."<em>

Yang listened, chuckling just a little bit as the last of her tears were shed. She joined in:

_"But I've got a plan..._  
><em>Why don't you be the artist<em>  
><em>And make me out of clay?<em>  
><em>Why don't you be the writer<em>  
><em>And decide the words I say?"<em>

Their voices joined together:

_"'Cause I'd rather pretend_  
><em>I'll still be there at the end<em>  
><em>Only it's too hard to ask<em>  
><em>Won't you try to help me..."<em>

And they went on, until the trembles left their voices, and there were only laughs, then sighs, then silence.

After that, there weren't many sounds other than the infrequent passing of a car, a distant horn honking, an occasional laugh or shout from a gathering of people having a good time at a bar somewhere.

But there was one thing that was loudest, even though it usually wasn't.

Air.

Or more specifically,_ breath_.

The sounds of the other's breathing, slow and deep.

Blake listened to the sounds of Yang falling asleep.

Usually, she tried to fall asleep first, lest she have to do so with the sounds of snoring directly next to her. But for tonight, she thought it'd be fine if she let Yang go first.

And Yang wasn't arguing.

Blake cradled her close, and the blonde took that for everything it was worth. She could feel the workings of the girl's body, feel her ribcage expand and deflate with every breath as the air passed through her lungs.

But louder than anything was Blake's heartbeat, slow but full against her ear. She knew she probably shouldn't have, but she pressed closer to listen better.

It was... nice to hear her heartbeat, and it gave Yang reassurance that she wasn't alone for once.

Ever since they'd set out together, loneliness hadn't been much of a problem anymore.

And Blake didn't mind the closeness, either.

So they stayed that way, listening to whatever they could hear, huddled snugly into one another beneath their blankets.

And they didn't really care if tomorrow came or not.

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><p><strong>AN: A bit of a rough first chapter, and the next one will be as well. Forgive me ;~;**

**Song lyrics are from Ellie Goulding's The Writer~**

**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all so much for the support of chapter 1! As many of you pointed out, this is a bit of a different style, so I'm glad it worked for most of you! This chapter is more angst :'3 But I think you'll come to enjoy it in the end.**

**Also, this probably isn't how a lot of this happened as Angie planned it in her AU, so sorry for inaccuracies orz**

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

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><p>Chapter 2.<p>

Of course, tomorrow did come.

It came with blinding sunlight which made for a very rude awakening, at least for Blake – Yang was still burrowed beneath the blankets and into her chest.

The dark-haired girl groaned softly, squinting and tilting her head to look away, avoiding the sunlight as best she could from this position. She peeked beneath the blankets at her companion, already able to hear the wheezing snores that passed through Yang's nose. She was probably drooling on Blake's shirt, and the thought caused her to roll her eyes.

And yet, she didn't have the heart to wake her so soon.

It'd been a rough night last night, and Blake wanted to let her rest as long as she needed to; Yang deserved that much at least.

So Blake held her a while longer, moving back slightly to ensure the girl could breathe, but Yang unconsciously hugged her tighter again to bring them back to square one. Blake heaved another sigh.

She contented herself with running fingers slowly through the golden mane of messy hair, not even realizing she was doing it. It just felt natural, and she imagined Yang could like waking up to it.

She wasn't wrong.

About ten minutes later, Yang made a muffled sound as her body tensed and then loosened in a small stretch. She pulled away from Blake only slightly to part her jaws in a gaping yawn before she nuzzled back into her stomach.

"Mm, Blake... feels good..." she mumbled, relishing the feeling of fingers through her hair.

Blake only smiled because she knew for a fact Yang hadn't opened her eyes to see it yet.

"I'm glad," she said. "But, we should probably get up now. Your stomach's been howling for fifteen minutes."

"Hm? Oh, right. I barfed last night." Yang pushed herself up and blew tangled hair from her face.

"Yes. And thanks for reminding me." With a playful shove, Blake knocked her off the seat. Yang tumbled to the floor and whined in protest. "Come on. We should wash up."

Blake reached into the back of the car and pulled out their bag of toiletries, throwing deodorant and Yang's toothbrush at her.

They wandered back to the convenience store to clean up a bit in the restroom, also purchasing a few muffins and bagels for breakfast, sharing a bottle of water.

"Sooo..." Yang hummed as they walked back to the car. "Whaddya wanna do today? Any specific requests?"

Blake took a thoughtful bite of her blueberry muffin and shrugged.

"Not really. I'm fine with just aimless driving. Unless there's somewhere you want to go?"

"Nah. But let's drive around and see what we can find. Maybe there's a garage sale happenin' somewhere and we can get some good deals."

"Yeah," Blake shrugged. "Sounds good."

They did just that, driving down whatever streets popped up in front of them, traveling through neighborhoods and following signs that led them to yard sales.

They stopped by a few of them, never buying much. Blake only bought essentials, which included a set of utensils and plates for only a few dollars, which would save them money in the long run since they were reusable.

But of course, at one point she made the foolish mistake of taking her eyes off Yang, Blake herself getting indulged with some old books that had been piled onto a table. She only flipped through them, not buying any, as she still had several in the car she needed to get started on.

But when she next turned around, she saw a familiar blonde heading toward her.

"Blake! Blake look!"

Blake looked, alright. Looked at the heavy object in Yang's arms and felt her jaw drop open as the girl babbled on with a grin.

"I got a suuuuper sweet deal. Microwave: 80% off~!"

"But Yang... we live in a car."

"..."

"..."

"...Oh. Right."

Blake took her companion by the back of the collar and dragged her back to the person running the yard sale where she politely apologized for the confusion and asked for a refund. She scolded Yang all the way back to the car, and the blonde followed behind her slowly like a chastised puppy. But Blake did feel a bit bad, so she made a quick offer.

"Maybe... we can come back for it. _Maybe_..."

Once they got back, Blake opened the trunk and neatly packed away their new utensils set into one of her bags. In the meantime, Yang was muttering to herself about how "the sign" was crooked.

On the first week of their road trip, Blake had been driving down a wide, secluded highway when Yang had suddenly asked her to pull over. A crooked Speed Limit sign reading the number 60 on the side of the road had clearly been hit and damaged in an accident, and the paint was peeling off a bit.

"Soooo~" Yang had sung. "We can't just let it go to waste. Might as well make use of it!"

"Vandalizing street signs," Blake had sighed. "This trip's off to a good start."

"We're not vandalizing!" Yang had defended as she got out of the car. "We're... improving the situation and giving this ol' thing use in a brighter future!"

Blake had merely bumped her forehead against the steering wheel with a long sigh as Yang ran over to remove the sign.

And – being the mature seventeen-year-old girl she was – the blonde scratched off some of the paint and used a sharpie marker to transform the 0 into a 9.

With a waggle of her eyebrows, she'd turned back to Blake who merely hissed at her to _get back inside now _before she took off without her. Yang had thrown the sign into the back of the car so it was visible out the rear mirror – not a great idea, Blake had informed her, considering it was in plain sight and any passing vehicle could tell they'd done something illegal.

But that sign was Yang's treasure - her trophy - and would in the future prove to be a very precious souvenir she'd taken away from this once-in-a-lifetime getaway experience.

Presently, she fixed that sign in its spot at the back of the car as Blake finished arranging things.

When they got back on the road, it was afternoon time, and they stopped to grab some more food at a drive-through.

It was a few hours later after they'd stopped at a gas station to refill the tank when Blake noticed the sky was turning dark, but not because of dusk approaching. The wind had changed as well, brewing with force, the clouds black and angry as they rolled in from afar, drawing closer by the second.

Yang was driving at the time, and Blake stared up at the sky, praying the weather would stay in their favor.

But after another ten minutes or so, it was clear that wasn't going to happen. She felt her throat go dry, and didn't even turn her head as she spoke her friend's name:

"Yang...?"

Her voice was almost inaudible beneath the wind and catchy dance music the blonde was playing at the moment, but her ears had been trained to pick up on Blake's voice above all else over the past few weeks. She heard Blake's soft murmur of her name, and slowed her speed as she turned the music down.

"What's up?"

Blake didn't reply right away, and her silence only served to make Yang more curious.

But it wasn't long before that curiosity turned into concern. She could tell Blake was tense and understood why all too well when the girl spoke again:

"I think... it's going to rain..." Her voice was a ghostlike wisp of air.

It unsettled Yang.

So she slowed the car, pulled over on the shoulder and put it in park, unbuckled her seatbelt and rolled up her window.

"Hey." She reached over and tapped Blake's shoulder lightly. "What's up, Blake? C'mon, you can't just leave me in the dark about this kinda thing."

The onyx-haired girl finally tore her eyes away from where they'd been fixated on the sky and looked to Yang instead.

"I'm just... not very good with storms," she confessed.

Yang blinked as understanding washed over her.

"Oh. I see..."

She remembered there hadn't been a storm since they'd first set out; the approaching one now would be the first.

She could imagine that at home, Blake would curl in her bed on stormy nights, trying to drown out the sounds with headphones. But as they were now, not even music would be of much use, not when their only means of shelter was a small car that would sway in the strong winds, and where every pelting raindrop would shake them and roar in their ears.

And if they were to brave a _thunderstorm_...

Yang couldn't fathom how loud and terrifying those blasts would sound, especially to someone like Blake who got spooked in large crowds of people; Yang couldn't imagine her reaction to being directly beneath a storm in the middle of the night in this rickety car.

The blonde bit her lip, thinking for a moment until she came to a decision. "Don't worry," she said with a reassuring hand on Blake's shoulder. "I've got an idea. So trust me. Okay, partner?"

She could already tell Blake was tense, her body shaking slightly and her eyes flicking about nervously until she found lavender. Yang's presence and that word - "_partner_" - seemed to ease Blake just a bit, and she nodded.

Yang presented her with a soft, lopsided grin. "Thanks fer trustin' me, Blakey. Now just sit tight."

Yang re-buckled herself and started to drive again, keeping her eyes open for what she sought now. It wasn't very much longer before she found it; a large, tan-colored building with several floors and dozens of big windows lining each.

A hotel.

Once Blake saw it as well, she cast Yang and uncertain glance. "Yang... we don't have to-"

"Of course we do," she murmured. "Like hell I'm gonna make you stay out here in this car tonight if there's gonna be some huge storm." She flashed a quick glance to Blake again. "It's fine. We have some cash to spare, so don't worry about it."

Anything was worth Blake's feeling safe.

The dark-haired girl said nothing more as she brought her arms around herself and continued to watch the sky.

It started to drizzle just as Yang pulled them into the parking lot, and the rain quickly turned into a downpour. They got out of the car, grabbed only a bag each and their sweatshirts before leaving all else behind and hurrying across the pavement, their shoes already splashing puddles.

The lobby of the hotel was cold and had air conditioning blasting, and they dripped water along the tiled floor behind them as they made their way to the front desk. Yang asked for a room for one night, and luckily this wasn't a place that required reservations. They were handed the key card to a room on the third floor, and Yang thanked the polite man at the desk before turning back to Blake and flashing a grin.

"Mission complete! Now let's get on up there."

Blake's only response was a small nod and a smile she hoped looked genuine.

Yang led them to the elevators, but realized riding them might not be the best idea, especially with Blake already shaken up this badly. So she headed for the stairs instead, holding the door for Blake, never going too quickly up the steps, always making sure Blake was right beside her.

It didn't take them very long to reach their floor, and their room was only a few numbers down. Yang slipped the key card into place and opened the door to reveal a room that consisted of two queen-sized beds, a loveseat, a television, a bathroom, and a closet. The large window that made up the far wall had the curtains pulled over it, and Yang intended to keep it that way.

They put their bags down on one bed, each only having brought a change of clothes. There were fresh robes in the closet courtesy of the hotel, and Yang pulled them out before tossing one to Blake. "Since we're here, we might as well shower, huh?"

It would certainly be nice to use an actual bathroom for such things for a change rather than their usual routine of standing out in some desolate stretch of grass in their bathing suits with a bucket of soapy water and scrubbing every inch of themselves bit by bit before dunking their hair in to lather.

Blake's expression seemed to unwind a bit at the thought of a shower.

"I think I'll do just that," she said. "But..." Yang looked up when she heard the hesitation in the girl's voice. "Yang... just maybe... don't leave the room?"

She couldn't imagine anything worse than emerging from a relaxing shower to find it thundering loudly and that she was alone.

Yang gave a swift nod.

"Hey, don't worry about a thing. I'm just gonna be chillin' here watching TV, okay? Go enjoy your shower."

Blake gave a nod, and relaxed just a little.

Once she'd gone into the bathroom and closed the door, Yang turned on the TV, hoping it could provide some noise distractions in lieu of the storm. She went to the window and peeked past the curtains to find the surrounding town already shrouded in darkness and being assaulted by the relentless rain. Bright blue lightning was flashing in the sky, and not long afterward, a rumble of thunder accompanied it. It was low and distant – for now.

Yang bit her lip as she returned to the bed and flicked the channel to weather advisory. She uttered a curse when she was informed of the severity the storm would possess, and how it was anticipated to last until morning.

She heard the water of the shower turn off a few minutes later, and Blake emerged soon afterward, dressed in black sweatpants and a dark purple long-sleeved shirt, the hotel's fluffy white bath robe slipped on over it all and a hair dryer in her hand.

Yang quickly changed the channel and waved to her.

"How was it?"

"Like heaven," she replied. "You should go get a taste of it." Blake went to the opposite bed and plugged in the hair dryer, hoping it would drown out any unpleasant sounds as she began shaking out her hair.

Yang didn't like the thought of leaving her alone out here, so she made a promise: "I'll be quick."

She grabbed her change of clothes and hurried off to the bathroom.

Blake couldn't help but feel anxious when she was left alone, but she continued drying her hair, trying not to think about what was happening outside.

The TV was showing a program about crime, and normally, Blake would enjoy the investigation procedures on such a show. But for now, she didn't think she was in the mood for watching people being kidnapped, locked away in small basements, and abused by their captors. She focused on drying her hair, but once it was dried, she turned off the appliance and unplugged it.

Almost instantly, a crash of thunder sounded, and Blake jumped. She needed to slap a palm over her mouth to prevent herself from calling out for Yang.

The water in the shower stopped shortly afterward, and Blake tried to straighten up where she leaned back against the headboard of the bed.

Yang stepped out a minute later, dressed in her usual black pants and orange t-shirt, also wearing a robe. Her hair was dripping as she approached the beds.

"Sorry. I tried to be as quick as possible. But you were right - _god_, it was like heaven."

"Yeah..."

Yang heard the tightness in her voice, noticed the anxiety-inducing program on TV that could give a person a heart-attack just watching the car crashes and gun fights. She quickly switched the channel to something – anything – else before looking back to her companion with an offer.

"Do you wanna swing by the convenience store downstairs? I know the hotel restaurant is a bit too pricey, but the store shouldn't be bad. Whaddaya say?" She just wanted to keep Blake's mind off the storm.

With another small nod, Blake agreed.

"Yeah. Let's do that."

Yang grinned.

"Great!"

As Blake put away the hair dryer, Yang found matching pairs of slippers in the closet and laid them out for Blake and herself. But once they were out in the hallway, Yang almost instantly let out a small gasp.

"Oh shit, I forgot the key."

Blake rolled her eyes.

"This wouldn't be the first time," she said holding up the card between her fingers.

"Oh, thank god. What would I do without you?" Yang nudged the girl's side lightly.

"Honestly, you'd probably still be back at home in the driveway trying to start the car."

"Yeah..."

Their playful banter continued as they went back down the stairs and to the lobby.

The small convenience store was located across from the main desk, and they headed over together. Almost instantly, Yang went for the condoms and started making suggestive expressions, and Blake promptly crushed her toes with her heel before dragging her away.

In the end, Yang bought a few packets of snacks and Blake bought a bushel of bananas that would still be good for another week yet. They went back up to their room and put the extra food on top of the cabinet where the TV rested. Blake only took one banana and Yang took just one packet of crackers to munch on for now. Blake peeled the fruit and cut it up with one of their knives; she knew better than to eat a banana normally in front of Yang.

"Aw, you're no fun," the blonde pouted.

"Shut up."

They ate in silence, not really watching the TV, more so just staring into it. There were a few more rumbles of thunder, but nothing too loud, and Yang was starting to feel better about all of this, considering how relaxed Blake seemed now.

They finished their food, and Yang looked to the clock to find it was already 11PM.

"Let's get to bed," she suggested. Hopefully, they could fall asleep before the storm got any worse.

Evidently, Blake was thinking similarly.

"Yes. Let's."

They slipped out of their robes and put them up on hangers in the closet before retreating to the beds. Blake went to the one nearest the window, and Yang instantly spoke up:

"Hey, why don't we switch? Or better yet, just sleep with me in this one, huh? If you want to, that is."

Honestly, Blake almost melted with relief at the offer.

"Really? Then yeah, if it's okay with you, I... I think I'd want to sleep together." They always did in the car anyway, so just because they had separate beds now didn't mean they _had_ to use them both.

And it didn't seem like either of them wanted to, anyway.

Yang slid over, patting the space beside her invitingly. Blake accepted the offer gratefully and shed her slippers before slipping her legs beneath the sheets and comforters.

"Do you wanna keep a light on?" Yang wondered.

"No, it's fine." Blake leaned over and flicked off the beside lamp herself.

"What about the TV?" They could at least use some background noise. But as Yang flipped through the channels, she found that everything on at this hour was either horrendous murders or haunting ghost stories or documentaries about shipwrecks or other natural disasters.

"Ugh, screw it." She turned it off altogether, leaving them in complete darkness. She flopped down onto her side, realizing Blake had given her her back. Yang frowned a little but spoke quietly. "Just get some rest, okay?" She pulled the blankets up over Blake more, a small barrier to shield her from the night.

"I will. You too, Yang."

With the loss of their voices now, the room was painfully silent, the occasional workings of the air conditioning system only serving to drown out the sounds of the storm momentarily.

The rain was hissing loudly, clanging against the glass windows like bullets, and even with her eyes closed, Yang still noticed every flash of lightning that slipped through the cracks in the curtains.

And she knew Blake must've, too. But she kept quiet, not wanting to say anything in case Blake was in the process of falling asleep.

The thunder was tame for a while, and Yang felt herself slipping away, her mind on the borderline of sleep before very long.

But then, the thunder got louder, closer-

_-angrier_.

And suddenly, the next blast sounded more like a bomb explosion right outside their window. It shook the hotel, and even Yang felt her gut twist and the hair on the back of her neck shoot up.

But Blake...

Blake screamed.

The pang of fear the sound sent through Yang made her jump, and she quickly reached out to her in the darkness.

"Blake? Blake, hey!" She didn't know if she should be touching Blake now, but Yang's own needs required she at least try. "Blake!" She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and almost recoiled instantly when she felt just how badly she was shaking.

It definitely wasn't just a simple case of the jitters. Blake was almost convulsing with tremors, and simply laying a hand on her shoulder allowed Yang to feel her throbbing pulse.

She turned the terrified girl over to face her, and Yang couldn't see very well in this darkness, but she could _feel_.

Blake was shuddering violently, her body almost in spasms, her breath quick and shallow. Tears jumped into Yang's eyes instantly when she heard the girl's sobs.

"H-Hey, Blake? Blake... shhh..." Yang propped herself up and managed to flick the lamp on, but she almost wished she hadn't.

The anguish on Blake's face was true terror, tears and sweat and she was so _pale_.

Yang swallowed, trying to remain calm for her companion's sake.

"Blake-"

But another crash of raging thunder cut off her words. Blake shrieked again and clung to her as though for dear life. Even Yang had to admit this was a bad storm, unlike any she could ever remember. The thunder was earth-shatteringly loud, almost deafening, and it was entirely random.

She was about to lean over Blake and reach for the phone, planning to call the front desk and request some form of medical assistance.

But she couldn't even manage to lift herself up from Blake's vice-like grip, the girl ensnaring her completely.

"Blake- Blake c'mon you're killin' me. I'm just gonna call the front desk. I'm gonna get you help-"

"Y-Yang..."

Her voice just then was...

Yang couldn't describe it.

It was a plea, a beg for her not to leave, for her not to move.

Even if she might need it, Blake didn't _want_ medical help, and Yang was torn between giving her what she wanted and what she needed.

But what could the hotel staff do? How long would it take for a doctor to get there in this weather, _if_ they even opted to come out at this hour at all? They couldn't afford a hospital bill, Yang reminded herself, but god, Blake was making this hard for her.

But when another blast of thunder shot through the sky and Blake screamed her name again, Yang's mind went blank of all other thoughts. She stopped trying to pry the girl off of her and gave into that desperate embrace, reciprocating it with one of her own, crushing Blake to her as much as she dared to.

It was then she could fully feel every shiver of her body, every struggling breath as it left her lungs, every meek heave of her chest.

But Blake's pulse scared her the most. It was palpable and Yang could feel it more strongly than her own, reverberating throughout her entire body. It felt like it really hurt. She couldn't even begin to imagine Blake's fear right now.

Yang did all she could think of and gave another squeeze to her shoulders.

"Oh god, Blake. Your heart's outta control..." Yang had suffered her fair share of small panic attacks before, but never anything remotely close to this level.

Every crash of thunder had Yang cursing under her breath as Blake clung even tighter to her, sobbing and gasping.

At one point, the girl tried to stifle her own screams by biting into Yang's shirt, teeth grazing her shoulder. Yang accepted the pain, letting herself experience just a fraction of what Blake was feeling.

Blake was a tough girl – Yang knew it firsthand. But right now, she was coming apart at the seams, and breaking more with every strained breath.

And despite all of that, Yang did her damn best to stay calm for both of their sakes, knowing her own fright would only have a worse effect on Blake now as she was.

Still though, the speed and ferocity with which Blake's heart was hammering now was terrifying, and Yang's first order of business was to stabilize it.

"Blake. Blake? Hey, can you hear me?" She combed fingers through her hair, rubbed her back over and over. "You gotta slow your heart down. _Please_. It's okay, Blake, nothing's gonna hurt you._ I promise._"

And she only made that promise because she knew for a fact she could keep it.

Blake heard every word she said, and it brought her more solace than Yang could ever know, though Blake herself wasn't exactly in any position to be conveying that right now. She felt Yang's hands running all up and down her back, through her hair, over her cheeks to wipe her tears, and it was then Blake realized she'd clamped her teeth into the other girl's shoulder. Slowly, she let go and withdrew in on herself.

"S-Sorry..." she whimpered. "I'm sorry, Yang-"

"Hey, hey," the blonde murmured. "Shh. Don't talk. Unless you need to tell me something like you're gonna be sick or something, just... save your breath, yeah?" She gave Blake another squeeze, letting one hand slip to the front of her stomach and rub gently. "Are you gonna be sick?" she asked.

It was strange, but Blake didn't think she could even managed such a feat right now; she was too petrified. She shook her head.

"Okay," Yang whispered. "Okay, that's good. Just... lemme know right away if you need anything. But for now just... just try to calm down. Slow your heart, okay?" She pulled Blake's head to her chest, willing her to listen.

Blake did her best to ignore the furious rain and cracking thunder, trying instead to focus on Yang's pulse. It was faster than it should've been, but still much slower than her own. She knew Yang was scared for her, and it was almost an unimaginable thought to Blake that someone could worry themselves so much for _her_ sake.

But... it was nice to know Yang would do that.

So she focused on the steady rhythm of Yang's heartbeat, focused on the cajoling motions of her friend's hands all down her back and shoulders and over her stomach, focused on the soft murmurs at her ear and nuzzles against her wet cheeks.

"Breathe..." Yang urged her. "Just _breathe_, Blake."

And Blake tried. She really tried to do just that, and Yang could tell she was trying. Her sobs got a bit softer and her pounding heartbeat started to slow down bit by bit.

But still, the thunder exploded in crashes, and Blake continued to shake against her, small and scared. The lamplight seemed to provide a bit of comfort, and Yang hoped she was doing as much as well.

It went on for about an hour, and Yang never let up with her motions, whispering softly to Blake, caressing her tearstained face, holding her as close as physically possible.

And although her shaking died down a bit, and although her pulse dropped a little, Blake was still breathing quickly and shallowly, no breath sufficient enough to fill her lungs like she needed to.

Yang didn't know what else to do, but she knew Blake couldn't breathe very well.

She couldn't think of anything else-

"Hey, hey..." She pulled back only slightly, only enough to glimpse the girl's face. Blake blinked her eyes open and sniffled, still gasping for breath. Yang smiled softly. "It's okay, Blake. Calm down. Breathe..."

She pulled the girl's face up to hers, rubbing her back with one hand, cupping her cheek with the other.

She needed Blake to focus on something other than her fears.

Yang closed her eyes and pressed her lips against Blake's fully, opening her mouth and pushing air into the girl's lungs.

Blake went tense, but then her muscles loosened almost too quickly as she accepted the kiss, accepted Yang's breath.

The blonde pulled back a few seconds later, inhaled deeply, and pressed another kiss into Blake's mouth, filling her lungs with air slowly, deeply.

She repeated the process, again and again as the storm swirled on outside, but they'd both all but forgotten that now.

Blake accepted every kiss willingly, taking Yang's breath for all it was worth, letting it calm her.

Before long, the strain on her lungs had vanished, her heartbeat no longer painful. She stopped shivering, and even when her breathing had returned to normal, Yang continued to kiss her.

She told herself it was just like CPR, that she was just sharing her air with Blake.

But as the storm died down that night, and the two girls finally drifted off into slumber in one another's arms, they each had to wonder if that was all it had been.

But they'd have time to figure that out later.

So for now they slept, calmly and quietly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please forgive me for the pain, but it needed to be done ;~;**

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ahh here it is, the finale to this mini-fic, but check out Angie's tags on her blog because she has a _lot_ planned for this AU!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 3.<p>

The next morning brought bright sunlight that filtered in through the curtains.

It splashed directly onto Yang's face, and she grunted and moaned softly as she opened her eyes.

Immediately, she was aware of Blake in her arms, curled into her chest and breathing softly.

And immediately after _that, _the memories of last night came flooding back to her; Blake's panic attack, her screams and shivers, her sheer fright-

-and how Yang had calmed her with a kiss.

No, not just one kiss – _kisses_.

Like, at least ten of 'em.

At the time it'd just felt so natural, like it was the only thing she could do to help, and perhaps that had been just the case and she'd merely acted on instinct, and something else she didn't quite understand.

But now, Yang's mind was clearer, and now that she didn't have to worry about Blake's condition, she presently came to the realization that last night had been her first kiss.

Well, about ten of 'em.

And wow, did her face turn red as she lie in bed then.

_Oh shit. Oh my _god_- _ she thought, biting her lower lip. _I... I freaking... I kissed her, holy shit..._

And it hadn't just been for CPR. Yang knew that had been one fraction of the reason, but there was something much, much bigger and possibly even scarier.

They'd known each other for a while back home, talked a lot in school and texted or called. Perhaps that had been when something had started to blossom, but only after they'd struck out on their own for these past several weeks of living alone together had the spark of it finally begun to flicker and expand.

And... Blake had kissed her back.

Right?

Yang _thought_ she had, anyway.

Even after she'd calmed down, Yang had continued to kiss her, and Blake had never once protested, pulled away, pushed _her_ away, or asked her to stop. She'd welcomed every kiss, and the flips of excitement that made Yang's stomach do now were a bit confusing, but she really enjoyed the feeling at the same time.

Presently, she gave a wiggle, hugging Blake a little closer but not wanting to wake her; it'd been a long night.

For a while, Yang contended herself with running fingers through her velvety hair, occasionally being bold enough to plant a kiss to her temple or forehead. She closed her eyes again, inhaling Blake's familiar scent, recognizing the shampoo from last night's shower. She didn't dare move until she felt the girl stir, and a moment later, Blake pulled away slowly, blinking her eyes open.

"Mornin'," Yang grinned down at her. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Sleep...?" Blake repeated the word in confusion. She looked about the room, remembering where they were and why they'd ended up in a hotel in the first place. She remembered the storm, the severity and chaos of it. How on earth had she slept at all last night?

She blinked up at Yang whose eyes only held concern, and realized the blonde was waiting for an answer.

"Yes. I slept fine." _But how-?_

And then she remembered that, too. How Yang had comforted her, kept her warm and safe in her arms, whispered gentle words to quell her fears.

And how she'd kissed her.

Again and again.

And Blake had kissed back.

_Again and again._

A small sound passed through her lips: "Oh..."

And that sound was what made Yang realize Blake had remembered as well, what they'd done. She was scared that Blake would regret it, and started to get angry at herself for having let it happen. _What've I done? I totally spoiled our relationship..._

Before Blake could think of what to say, Yang beat her to it.

"I'm glad you're feeling better. You look a hell of a lot better too, thank god." She paused. "You... _do_ feel better, don't you?"

Blake answered quickly.

"Yes. A million times better, Yang."

"Ahh, okay, okay good." Yang smiled a little, but it didn't last long. "So then hey, I understand if you wanna kinda... forget about what happened last night. All of it."

Blake's eyes went wide.

"Forget... _all_ of it?" she repeated. Had she misinterpreted things? She'd thought those kisses were... were... she'd thought Yang had _wanted_ to- "You..." She swallowed hard. "You want to... forget about.. all of it?"

Yang grimaced.

"Well, _I _don't. I mean I really... really don't. But I'm saying I understand if _you_ do," she clarified.

Blake let her words sink in for a moment. Then:

"And... what if I don't?"

Yang blinked, dumbfounded.

"Ah... uhm... th-then I guess, um..." Words were failing her.

Blake couldn't suppress an amused smile.

"If this is what you want, Yang... I think it's what I want, too," she confessed.

Yang forgot how to breathe for a moment.

"Y-You..." she gulped. "Y-You mean-"

"Oh, would you look at the time," Blake teased. "We should probably get out of bed sometime before noon, don't you think?"

"I... what? Oh. Oh, yeah! Um..."

"Don't hurt yourself." Blake gave the blonde's midsection one last squeeze before she pulled away and sat up, slipping her legs off the edge of the bed to locate her slippers. "I think I'll take another shower as long as we're here. Might as well utilize the facilities to the fullest before we need to check out." She got to her feet and headed to the bathroom, leaving Yang alone with her thoughts so they may both think things over.

Yang simply sat there in bed for a while as the water started running, unsure of whether or not everything she'd just heard was real. She'd always liked Blake, probably a bit more than she should've, and not just in a friendship kind of way.

But did Blake really...?

She sat there unmoving for fifteen minutes until Blake came back out, running a towel through her hair. She approached Yang cautiously, almost like how one would approach a deer, trying not to make eye contact.

She sat down next to her and asked, "You want to shower?"

Yang didn't look up at her, but simply nodded. She got up and all but stumbled into the bathroom, closing the door with shaking fingers.

Blake really hoped this would work out. The last thing she wanted – even less than to go home – was to lose her closeness to Yang. She was awkward enough around people; she didn't want the same to happen with Yang, not now, not when she'd just started to open up and feel relaxed around her.

She prayed they hadn't made some kind of mistake.

Mulling over her thoughts, she made the bed as best she could manage and got their bags and shoes ready.

It wasn't much longer before Yang finished her shower and stepped back out into the room. The shower seemed to have cleared her mind a bit as well, and when Blake looked up at her, she was smiling.

"Alright, I'm clean~ When do we gotta high-tail it outta here by?"

"We have another half hour," Blake informed her.

Yang went to her bag and rummaged through it for no reason in particular. When she leaned down, her t-shirt slipped a bit off her arm, and Blake caught sight of a swollen red mark on her shoulder. She put a hand to her mouth and muttered a small apology.

"Sorry..."

"Hm? What's up?" Yang wondered. Blake gave a nod to the blemish on the other girl's skin, and Yang seemed to notice it for the first time. "Ahhh yeah. You were in pretty bad shape last night. But I'm glad you let me share some of the pain. I really am." She sat on the bed and crawled over to Blake. "It'll go away by tonight. Don't worry about it."

"I'm sorry."

"Heeyyy, no more apologizin'. You couldn't help it."

"Maybe not..." Blake agreed. "But _you_ could. You helped me a lot last night, Yang. More than I think you know. So thank you. Thank you a lot."

Feeling gutsy and a little scared, Yang slipped an arm around Blake's shoulders.

"Anything for you." She kissed the top of Blake's head.

Blake was a bit surprised at the action, but eased into the contact, leaning onto Yang's shoulder for a moment. Her hands found Yang's free one and her fingers ran along the back of her knuckles, rubbing lightly.

"We've both had... pretty bad nights recently, huh?"

"Yeah..." Yang sighed. "Yeah, we have. But y'know, we can't let those get us down. Cause y'know what? They're over now. And yeah, sure there might be more to come, but there's always a ton more better nights and better things to do and think about. Without the bad times, we can't appreciate the good ones. But when we _do_ have those bad nights..." She placed another kiss on Blake's cheek this time. "At least we have each other."

Blake didn't know why, but the words brought stinging tears to her eyes.

Yang chuckled at her ear. "Was that too cheesy?"

Blake shook her head in response.

"No, you idiot. It was nice." This time, Blake was the one who turned her head and kissed the side of Yang's chin. "Thank you again, Yang."

"Yeah," the blonde blushed. "Don't mention it. You helped me out too, remember?"

"Right."

Blake rested there against her side for a moment, and Yang sighed blissfully.

This was... really damn nice.

A few minutes of silence passed, and then Blake spoke once more.

"Now then, we've got ten minutes till noon – and if what this informational pamphlet says is true – that means we still have ten minutes left to get a free complimentary breakfast."

Yang's eyes flew wide open.

"Whoa, what?!" she gasped. "God, why didn't'cha say something sooner? Let's go- oh my gosh!"

Blake chuckled and helped gather their bags.

They headed downstairs and went to the hotel's diner where they were permitted into the free breakfast buffet. Yang almost cried out of joy as they went around the small counters and collected pancakes and eggs and toast and muffins and juice and tea before taking it all back to an empty table.

It was like a blessing, and they admittedly gorged themselves a bit.

By the time they'd finished, it took Blake all of her strength to haul Yang out of her chair and across the lobby so they could check out.

Once done, they headed out into the parking lot where puddles from last night were visible and went to the car, packing away their bags as well as the convenience store food they'd purchased the night before.

"Ohhh, god," Yang was still going on about breakfast. "At least we know hotels are always an option if need be. Buuut still, ya gotta love the feeling of livin' in a car, am I right?"

"Absolutely," Blake agreed. They closed the trunk, but before they could go around to the front of the car to get in, Blake reached for Yang's wrist. "Yang? Could I take the wheel?"

"Hm? Sure!" Yang fished out the keys from her shorts pocket and handed them to her. "Got someplace in mind you wanna go?"

"Yeah."

"Cool, cool! Where is it?"

"That-" Blake slipped her index finger through one of the loops of the keychains and spun the keys around. "-is a secret."

"Awww, whaaaat?" Yang whined. "No fair. C'mon, tell me, tell me!" she begged.

"No can do."

"Have you ever driven there before?"

"Not by myself, no."

"Then you've gotta look up directions and you can't do that while driving!"

"I already looked them up this morning on my phone."

"Dammit."

"Get in the car, Yang."

"Yeah, yeah..." She went to the passenger's side as Blake went to the wheel.

Blake started the car, backed out of the space, and headed for the open road.

She remembered where Yang had said she'd wanted to go. It'd been an offhanded comment near the beginning of their journey, clearly one Yang didn't think they'd actually get to.

But Blake wanted to make it possible, wanted to get her there one way or another.

Judging by the directions she'd checked on her phone, it would take a few days to arrive, but Blake was intent on making it happen.

Yang had already done a lot for her within the time they'd been on the road together, but last night had meant a lot to Blake, and she liked to believe it'd meant a lot to Yang as well. Blake wanted to take her to this place, not only to repay Yang in a sense, but also because it was a place more than worth going to.

Yang set the radio to her favorite station as Blake took them onto the more crowded of streets. She planned to drive them as far as possible before evening; since Yang wouldn't know where they were headed to, they couldn't take turns behind the wheel, and whenever Blake got tired, they'd have to stop.

All day, the car was filled with lyrics as they sang aloud, not caring how loud or off-tune they were.

And by the time the sun started going down, Blake was satisfied with how much distance they'd covered, so she pulled over on the shoulder of a rural street. There was a stretch of dead grass that wasn't part of anyone's property, and she drove down a little ways before putting the car in park. Yang turned off the radio and unbuckled herself, looking pointedly over at Blake.

"Sooo is this where you wanted to take me?" she asked.

"No," Blake chuckled. "It'll take at least another day."

"Oh, whoa." Yang raised an eyebrow. "_Now_ I'm curious. Aw man, it's gonna be eating away at me."

"It'll be worth it when we get there," Blake promised. "But for now, how about we stretch our legs?"

"Yes puh-leez."

Yang swung open her door and stepped out, making squawking noises as she pulled her arms above her head and cracked her neck. Blake got out as well, slipping the keys into her shorts pocket before going to her companion's side.

Together, they headed off, leaving the car behind and walking into the grass.

There were a few houses scattered around the area, but for at least a mile ahead, it was just flat, green fields.

Yang kept her hands in her pockets for a while until she realized Blake's were free.

Trying to be as nonchalant as possible, the blonde slipped one hand out and measured her steps, inching closer to Blake every few seconds. She kept her eyes trained ahead as she tried to reach out her hand with the natural sway of her arm as she walked, feeling her knuckles brush against Blake's. She opened her fingers, feeling the touch of their skin for a brief second before it was lost again with the next step.

It went on for three torturous minutes before she had finally steeled herself to just grab Blake's hand fully.

However, the fates had other ideas.

Yang was so focused on her hands that she was paying no attention to her feet. Her right foot went into a rabbit hole and with a short cry, she tripped forward flat onto her face.

Blake stopped and turned back to her.

"Yang?"

Said blonde pushed herself up and spat grass from her mouth.

"Smooth, Xiao-Long, sooo damn smooth, you're as smooth as a serrated knife..."

"Are you okay?" Blake chuckled.

"My pride's beyond saving."

"How tragic." Blake rolled her eyes, reaching her hand down. "Let me help you up."

Yang sniffled and slipped her palm into Blake's. The dark-haired girl wore a smile all the while as she helped Yang up.

"If it's _smooth_ you wanted," she smirked. "Let me give you a lesson, Yang." And she started to walk again, never once letting go of Yang's hand from then on.

Yang walked alongside her and spoke in admiration:

"You're a master, Belladonna."

They walked for a while, making sure the car was still in sight when they finally came to a halt where the grass was short and soft. There were clovers and small flowers there as well which shielded their bare legs from prickling blades of grass, and the two girls settled down.

Their hands kept hold of one another's as they leaned back a bit to glimpse the vast expanse of the sky. The sun was just setting over the mountains far away, and it bled reds and golds into the clouds. The farther back they looked, the colors melted into darker blues and purples until stars gradually started blinking to life.

The air was cool, but nothing they couldn't bear, especially when they had one another to keep warm.

The sun sank away all too quickly, and the light would only remain another fifteen minutes at best, so they would have to head back to the car soon.

But until then, Blake laid back in the grass, and Yang rested her head on the girl's shoulder. She slipped her arm beneath Blake's head to cushion it, and the girl gave an appreciative hum of thanks.

"The night's beautiful," Blake commented.

"Not as beautiful as you~" Yang purred, rolling over slightly onto her side to kiss her cheek.

"Wow, Yang. Very smooth."

"Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all summer."

Blake laughed out loud that time, a level above her trademark chuckle, and it sent Yang's heart aflutter.

They rested there for a while, breathing in the fresh air as it whispered around them through the flowers. But Yang made sure to stay conscious so they could get back to the shelter of the car.

She sat up a while later and looked down at Blake where she lie in the moonlight, and despite her casual, modern-day clothes, she still looked more gorgeous than any fairytale princess; her skin was pale and flawless, onyx hair shimmering with silver, golden eyes curious and sparkling with stardust as she looked up at her.

"Blake..." Yang murmured. She made sure to keep a few feet of distance between them, not wanting Blake to feel like she was being pressured, wanting her to know there was escape available if she needed it. "What..." Yang gulped. "What is... our relationship now...?"

Blake was silent for a moment as she looked up into lavender pools. She knew her answer, and she didn't want to make Yang wait any longer than she had to. Blake sat up beside her, keeping them on the same level, equal.

"What do you want it to be?" she asked.

It was an invitation, and she hoped Yang understood.

Yang's heart was in her throat; she was scared she'd hurt Blake, do the wrong thing somehow.

But then she remembered last night, how Blake had curled into her, accepted her kisses and returned them...

If it was what Blake wanted too... then wasn't it okay to let herself be a little selfish?

Yang placed one hand on the girl's shoulder, slipping the other onto her waist and pulling her close. She looked into golden eyes, asking a silent question, receiving a silent answer.

Blake closed her eyes and leaned in, parting her lips with a small breath. Yang finished the action and brought their lips together, feeling arms move around her shoulders and pull her closer.

They got lost in one another, and somewhere along the way, Yang eased her down into the grass, caressing her cheek as she tilted Blake's head slightly to deepen the kiss. She pulled back only when she needed air.

"Blake, you- you're okay? I-I mean with this, with _us_-"

"Yang." She looked up at her in the moonlight, eyes calm and full of something Yang was both scared and excited for. "_Yang_."

The way she said her name gave the blonde all the answers she needed.

Blake pulled her down and pressed another kiss to her lips, and Yang made sure to put some of her weight into the arm that propped herself up against the ground so as not to crush her. Their mouths moved gently against each other's, in stolen kisses and much-needed words, none of which either one of them regretted.

Eventually, Yang locked her arms around the small of Blake's back, and she rolled them both over so the girl rested on top of her. Blake peppered kisses onto Yang's face and in her hair. If she hadn't known any better, she would have assumed Yang was the sort of person who did this sort of thing with Beacon's entire football team _and_ the cheerleading squad.

But Blake knew for a fact Yang had never done such frivolous things before, and it made her heart swell.

She felt special.

And Blake was the sort of person Yang could _never_ imagine doing this sort of thing, figured she would rather read a book. So for Blake to willingly – eagerly – do this with her...

Yang felt pretty damn special, too.

If this was what they both wanted, who was she to deny it?

They kissed again, and Yang could feel her mind growing fuzzy for a lot of reasons but she didn't _care_; she just wanted Blake. She could feel their hearts pounding as one and squeezed the girl to her.

At last, the dark-haired girl pulled away, sighing as she rested her head against Yang's collar. She'd been nervous before that perhaps Yang might consider this a fling of sorts.

But now Blake knew for a fact – with all her heart – that this wasn't something that could be brushed off after they went back home. No, this was real, and it wasn't going to end anytime soon if either of them had anything to say about it.

Before long, they both realized how late it was, and Blake sat up, Yang doing the same.

"Well," the blonde hummed. "That was a thing."

"It still _is _a thing." Blake kissed her cheek again. "Come on. We should get back."

They stood, dusted the tiny leaves off of their shirts and legs. But before they started walking, Yang bent down to scoop up a flower, tucking it behind Blake's ear playfully.

They walked back across the field, the car now seeming farther away than they'd left it. When they finally reached it and got inside, they all but crashed into the back seats.

Blake only just managed to hit the button to lock the doors before Yang grabbed her by the waist and pulled the girl on top of her again. She haphazardly threw one of the blankets over them before getting comfortable, having Blake rest against her chest.

"I dunno where ya plan to take me," she mumbled. "But I know it'll be great just 'cuz you're there with me. This whole summer's gonna be amazing because I'll have you."

"Thank you, Yang." Blake closed her eyes, her hands trailing up Yang's arms to rest over the pulse in her wrists. "I feel the same. I don't care what we do or where we go as long as it's the two of us."

"Yeah..." Yang yawned loudly. "See ya in the mornin'..."

"Goodnight, Yang."

It would be hard to surpass the perfection that was that night.

* * *

><p>Blake was their driver for the next two days.<p>

She ended up taking a wrong turn once and it had taken a while to get them back on track, and she'd apologized profusely for hindering their journey.

"Sorry," she said for the umpteenth time. "I just wasn't paying attention to the signs."

"Hey, what did I say? It's not like we have a set schedule, y'know. It's fine, Blake." Yang reached over and briefly put a hand over hers on the steering wheel. She could feel the tight grip Blake had on it and frowned. "Now that we're back on track, let's stop for a break, okay? Don't need you wearin' yourself out over this. No matter where it is you're takin' me, I know I'll love it."

"...Okay." Blake agreed, and the next chance she could, she pulled the car over onto the shoulder of the road. Her phone was charging on the wire connected to the car's battery, and as she put the vehicle in park, she checked the device to see how far away they were from their destination. "Another thirty four miles. We can do it-"

"After lunch," Yang cut her off. "C'mon, let's grab a bite to eat."

They wandered around the town they'd found themselves in, and located a small cafe with signs all over the windows saying today was "Couples' Day!" and that "Couples get free drinks!"

Naturally, Yang tugged Blake over to said cafe, holding tightly to her hand, eager to brag to a building full of strangers that she had the cutest partner on the planet. As they were waiting on line, a thought occurred to Yang for the first time.

"Hey," she murmured, and Blake perked up to listen. "So like... you're... _we're_... girlfriends, right?" The word felt strange to say, and even stranger to hear. But Blake nodded in confirmation.

"Yes. We are."

"Wow..." Yang breathed. "Wow, holy crap. How lucky am I?"

"Almost as lucky as I am."

"Damn, you are _so_ smooth!" Yang zealously pulled Blake into a brief hug, something the dark-haired girl had gotten used to weeks ago.

A few months ago, she would have pushed Yang – or anyone else – away, maybe even violently.

But she found she really enjoyed contact from Yang and only Yang. She loved it, even. It made her realize what she'd been missing out on for the past several years.

And Yang was more than happy to brag about her girlfriend. She held herself proudly as they waited in line, her chin high as she tried to make it visible to everyone in the cafe that she was holding Blake Belladonna's cute hand in hers.

When it was their turn, they ordered muffins and bought some granola bars, happily receiving their free drinks of coffee and tea as well. They headed to a table to eat, but before she could start unwrapping her food, Yang stood again.

"I'll go grab us some napkins," she announced. "I'll be quick as a whip!" And with that, she dashed off.

Blake waited patiently for her, trying not to let her mind make the situation worse than it was. She was alone now in a building full of strangers.

_But it's just for a minute. I can handle it..._ She sipped at her tea, keeping an eye out for Yang.

But the person who approached her then wasn't her girlfriend. A boy with dusty brown hair came up to her and grinned.

"Hey there. You alone?"

Blake's heart leapt into her throat. She _hated_ talking to strangers, even if they were being nice like this person was. She hated feeling like everyone was a predator when clearly that wasn't the case, but she didn't exactly have a choice in what she felt.

"N-No. I'm... I'm with someone..."

"Really? Then, should I wait with you until they get back?"

She tried her best to stay composed, but still couldn't look him in the eye.

"No. That's okay..."

The boy looked like he was about to insist, but not a second later, a familiar voice called out like a saving grace:

"Back! Sorry, I couldn't find them at first- whoa, um..." Yang came to an abrupt halt as she reached the table. "What's going on here? Can I help you?"

"Oh." The boy looked to her. "I was just making sure your friend was okay."

Yang narrowed her eyes.

"Well thanks, but my _girlfriend_ is my business and her own business and no one else's, buddy. So you can scaddadle," she said calmly before waving him off. The boy nodded and walked off without another word. Yang watched him go and made sure he went before she looked back to Blake. "Hey, you okay?"

Blake gave a small nod.

"Yeah. He wasn't being rude or anything. I think he was genuinely concerned. But I just-"

"Well, that was nice of him then," Yang slid in beside Blake rather than across from her. "He did his duty of a concerned citizen and left. But you still look a little pale. Do you wanna sit on the aisle side?" Yang offered.

She'd sat in the spot that put Blake against the window, and didn't know if that would make her feel trapped. It was something Yang never would have given a second thought to if it were anyone else, but this was _Blake_, so it was something she needed to consider.

But her girlfriend shook her head.

"No. I'm fine. I like this actually." It almost felt like Yang was protecting her this way.

"Okay," the blonde nodded. Her hand reached for Blake's in the girl's lap. Blake's fingers had taken a death-grip on her shorts, and Yang slowly eased them off so they could rest in her palm instead. She reached across with her other hand to pat Blake's shoulder slowly, reassuringly. "There. You're okay, see?"

"Yeah..." Blake nodded. "Thanks, Yang."

"Anytime, partner."

Once Blake had calmed down, they began eating, making small talk and chatting away. Eventually, it led to Yang begging to know where they were going again.

"Pleeease tell me?"

"No way."

"Uuuggghh..."

But she wouldn't have to wait much longer.

Blake drove them the rest of that day until sunset.

They spent that night away from the bright street lights and laid on top of the car, pointing out the stars and leaning against one another. The nights were getting warmer now, so they stayed out longer, slept in a bit later the next morning.

Yang would video call with Ruby, and they would all talk together for a few hours a night, exchanging news and telling stories. But they made sure not to stay up too late, made sure they could wake up again the next morning at a reasonable time.

And after they'd washed up a bit and gotten some breakfast, Blake set off again.

The sun was out and there were only a few clouds blotting the azure sky, making for a perfect day. The radio was playing one of their favorite songs, and Yang sang heartily, and even Blake joined in halfway through:

"But I would walk five-hundred miles-"

"And I would walk five-hundred more-"

Yang was so immersed in singing that she didn't notice right away.

Blake could smell it before she saw it, and she knew it wasn't far now.

Once the song ended, Yang stuck her head out the open window and laughed aloud. "Ahhhh the wind feels so niiiice!" The air was like freedom itself, careless and loud and _fun_. It was a few minutes later when she pulled herself back into the car and looked to Blake. "It smells a bit funky here. But it's nice!"

"Well, I guess that's one way of putting it," Blake commented. "But we're almost there now."

"Oh, _sweet!_"

"I'd tell you to close your eyes..." Blake said as she nodded forward. "But I don't want you to miss a second of it."

Yang followed the girl's eyes where they were directed ahead. She squinted for a moment, until a horizontal line of blue came into view. Her jaw dropped.

"No way..."

"Yes way."

"Blake-"

"Yang."

"Noooo way..."

"We're almost there."

Yang knew what the oddly-pleasant smell was now.

Salt.

When she looked up, she saw seagulls squawking overhead as they drifted beneath bright blue skies.

Blake sped up just a bit until they finally reached a spot where they could pull over. They were slightly elevated on a hill, and the view from here was absolutely perfect.

Yang unbuckled herself and got out of the car, standing on wobbling legs.

"Oh my god..."

Blake went around and stood next to her behind the guard rail, and Yang only continued to mumble to herself.

"Oh my god, oh my _god_-"

She was really here.

The place she'd always wanted to go to all her life.

The place she'd only seen in friends' pictures and in movies and on the internet.

The place she'd only ever dreamed of before.

The ocean.

"_Oh my god, Blake_..." Her voice trembled, and Blake looked up at her to find she was crying. "Oh my god, oh- my god. We're here, we're... we're r-really here... oh my god..."

"Yeah," she nodded. "Let's stay around here for a while. It's a nice town. But for now... do you want to get your bathing suit on?"

Yang's knees almost gave out on her and she swayed, needing to hold onto Blake for support.

"Really? Yeah, yeah! Let's go, oh my god, Blake..."

But first, she needed to express her gratitude.

She threw her arms around Blake and kissed her fiercely, doing her best not to let her sobs cause her teeth to nip.

Blake tasted salt on the roof of her mouth, some from the ocean and some from Yang's tears. She did her best to hold the girl up, but Yang was too weak with joy and her legs soon caved underneath her.

Without breaking the kiss, Blake lowered them both down into the grass, keeping Yang in her lap as she kissed back, moving her lips in time with hers. She only pulled away when Yang couldn't even kiss anymore, only sob. Blake chuckled as she pulled the blonde's head to her chest.

"I'm glad you like it," she murmured, kissing the girl's messy hair.

"_God_, Blake... I love it. I love it so much... thank you..."

"We'd planned to come here anyway, you know."

"I know but just- oh wow... oh my god..." There weren't many other words Yang could manage to say right now.

Blake held her close, planting small kisses along her temples and forehead. Yang peeked out over her shoulder, wanting to absorb the sight of the water as much as humanly possible.

She cried for a while, thanking Blake again and again and kissing her just as often.

"I love it," she kept saying. "I love it..."

And somewhere along the lines, she didn't even realized that had changed into "I love _you_."

She gasped when she realized what she'd said, pulled away sheepishly when she realized it was only the truth. She wiped her tears and sought out Blake's golden eyes that blinked incredulously back at her.

Now it was Blake's turn to throw her arms around Yang and cry.

Never in all her life did she think she'd ever hear those words. And the best part was, she knew in her heart it was the truth.

Yang hugged her back tightly as Blake whispered, "I love you, too" into her ear.

And for a while, all of their troubles and fears went away. The only things in the world were the fresh, salty breaths of air in their lungs, the warm, soft body against theirs, the fervent kisses on lips.

When at last the tears finally stopped, the two girls broke apart. Fingertips still ran through bangs and over cheeks, whispers of love still passing through their lips. Blake initiated another hug, another thing she never thought could be possible.

"Let's go swim."

She felt Yang nod.

"Yeah... yeah!"

They helped each other stand, let the blood flow properly back into their legs.

Then, they opened the trunk, rummaged through their bags to pull out their bathing suits, slipping their feet into flip-flops.

They locked the car and began heading down the grassy hill that quickly faded into sand dunes, bound for the small building with changing rooms located right where the beach began.

Yang all but bounced and skipped alongside Blake, squealing at the sensation of hot sand beneath her toes. Blake could only imagine a golden retriever bounding along at her side.

They passed dozens of other tourists who'd set up brightly-colored umbrellas and towels along the water, and Yang couldn't wait to join them.

They reached the changing rooms and slipped into their bathing suits, then stopping quickly at a small beach store next door. They left it with some very generously-priced items such as towels, sunblock, water bottles, and fashionable sunglasses.

And at last, they headed for the water.

They found an empty patch of sand, set their things down, and almost instantly made for the waves.

Yang loved how the sand went from dry and hot and covered in hard shells to damp and cool and smooth within just a few steps. She paused just before the surf could reach her bare toes, and Blake halted beside her. She understood; this was a big, _big_ moment for Yang.

So she took her hand and smiled, and together, they took their first steps into the ocean.

Yang cried again – just a little bit – but it was just enough to elicit a hug from Blake once more.

They waded into the water, to their knees, then thighs and then to their stomachs, shivering slightly until they got used to it.

Once the tears had stopped, the fun could begin.

They did everything.

They splashed at one another, tossing seaweed into hair and squealing and splashing some more.

They observed the other people and learned how to body surf, catching the waves and riding them until they skidded to a halt back on shore, only to rush back into the water.

They dove beneath the waves as well, feeling the tide pull them and bounce above them.

They rose up again only to be knocked down by more waves before they had a chance to open their eyes.

They hacked and coughed at the mouthfuls of saltwater they swallowed by accident, rubbed eyes and laughed as they got back to their feet.

They stood ankle-deep, feeling the undertow pull away the sand beneath their feet, sinking them a bit deeper each time until at one point Blake actually needed to pull Yang out.

They walked along the water's edge, running into the surf to catch shells before they were pulled back out to sea, collecting anything and everything they could.

They crouched down to watch hermit crabs scuttling along, and saw how close they could get to the gulls before they flew way.

At one point, their attention was alerted far out into the water where the fins of leaping dolphins were visible. A few jumped out of the water, and Yang jumped up and down and babbled on excitedly as she watched them.

They walked and swam and played for hours, returning to their things to rest and tan a little before going back in and repeating the process.

It all seemed to be over far too quickly though, and soon the sunlight was fading as it sunk away into the water.

Presently, Blake awoke from her nap and gently shook Yang's shoulder. "We've got to go now," she murmured.

Yang removed her sunglasses and sighed deeply, staring up into the sky.

"I can't believe it, Blake. I mean, I'm right here and I _still_ can't believe it."

"I know the feeling," she agreed. "But like I said, we'll stay in this area for a while. For as long as you want to."

"Yeah... I wanna do that," Yang nodded.

"Then that's what we'll do."

Blake helped her up, throwing a towel over her sopping tangle of hair and ruffling it affectionately. Yang tossed one end of it over Blake's head as well and pulled her in for a hidden kiss.

Then, they packed away their things and headed for the public showers, the orange sunset at their backs. They changed back into their normal clothes in the changing rooms, thankful there were walls for privacy and that they didn't have to disrobe discreetly while hidden behind one side of the car or out in some field. The convenience store on the beach sold tiny bottles of shampoo and conditioner, and the use of the public showers was free. So the two girls rinsed off in their swimwear and washed their hair thoroughly before drying off.

"This is the best," Yang grinned. "We can spend a day at the beach, get cheap food, get some exercise and a tan, and then wash off for free!"

"It certainly is a good deal," Blake agreed. "And in the evenings, we can look out over the water from the hill."

"And we can watch the tides at night," Yang went on. "Maybe even go for midnight walks. Or go down to the water at sunrise before anyone else gets here," she sighed dreamily.

"We'll do everything," Blake promised. "We've got all summer."

"Yeah!" Yang gave her a quick squeeze. "And we could always stay at a hotel some nights if we have to. There're plenty around here."

They scaled the grassy hillside until they reached the car where they deposited all of their things. But they didn't go back inside - not yet.

Instead, they went to the guard rail where Blake took a seat, and Yang stood behind her, wrapping her arms around the girl's stomach and pulling her back to her chest. Yang rested her chin atop her girlfriend's head and sighed, holding her there for a while, feeling her breathing slowly as they gazed out over the water.

It was dark now, the streetlights behind them illuminating the sand to a certain extent in a pale yellow glow. But the ocean's waves were sprinkled with the reflections of stars and the moonlight. The sounds of the combers filled their ears, waves lapping gently at the quiet shore where their footprints still led trails in the sand, proof they'd been there.

When her legs started to get tired, Yang had them both move to sit on the grass once more, and she held Blake tightly to her side.

It was just... one of those nights.

It was so perfect, so calm and peaceful, so much like a scene out of a movie they never thought could be their own experience.

It left them wonderstruck, in awe, almost disbelieving.

It was a night they could look back on any number of years from now and always remember vividly.

It was a flawless memory, one they'd never forget despite whatever life had in store for them; no matter what the future held, this present moment would always be alive in their hearts.

"I love it," Yang said again before turning to Blake. "I love _you, _Blake."

And Blake replied with a kiss to her cheek.

"And I love you, Yang."

A cool, gentle breeze brushed over them, caressing their hair as their fingers did the same to skin.

Their eyes met – lavender and gold – and arms went around shoulders and waists.

They shared a breath, and then a kiss, a few stray tears rolling down cheeks as lips curled into smiles.

Their lungs expanded, chests pressed against one another's as their hearts beat fast and hard together.

Strange how air could be so heavy and angry on frightening nights, so still and calm in life-changing moments, so loud and fun in the grandest of times-

-and so warm when it was being shared.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thank you for reading all the way through! This AU is great and you should look into it more on Angie's tumblr tags!**

**Please review!**


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